HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_03.13.2008Minutes of the Meeting of
the Parks and Recreation Board
City of Georgetown, Texas
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , March 13, 2008.
Members Present:
Barbara Owens, Kent Buikema , Robert Laemel, Shane Morris, Bill Mateja, Bob Mathis
Members Absent:
Mark Ramsey
Staff Present:
Randy Morrow, Kimberly Garrett, Jill Kellum
Minutes
Regular Meeting
1. Call to order
Kent Buikema called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
2. Roll Call
3. Introduction of new board members
Shane Morris and Robert Laemel introduced themselves to the Board. Buikema
welcomed the new members.
4. Elect Vice -Chair and Secretary for the 2008/2009 Parks Board
Robert Laemel made a motion to nominate Bill Mateja for Vice -Chair of the Parks
and Recreation Advisory Board. Motion was seconded by Barbara Owens and the
motion passed by unanimous vote. Bill Mateja made a motion to nominate Barbara
Owens for Secretary of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Motion was
seconded by Bob Mathis and the motion passed by unanimous vote.
5. Discussion and possible action to provide City Council with input on the
2008/2009 budget - Micki Rundell and Leticia Zavala
Finance was not present for the meeting, but the information packet was handed out
to the board and Morrow explained. Morrow stated this is for the board to give
input on the budget; Finance puts the information together, and passes the
information on to City Council. The packet is to be submitted back to the Jill Kellum
within a week. Buikema ask about the fiscal year for the City. Morrow stated it is
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from October 1 through September 30 . Buikema asked if staff pulls the budget
together. Morrow explained that staff puts the budget together and uses
information from the budget input and this year information from the Parks Master
Plan. Buikema stated he would like the Board to be involved more in the budget
process. Morrow asked how much detail he would want on the budget. Buikema
stated he would like to see it at preparation time. He stated not in final decision
making but to the point of getting a feel for what they are doing and what is
available. Mateja stated he agreed and stated he would like to offer suggestions
from his previous background. Laemel asked how the process worked with the
budget. Morrow explained how the process worked. Staff submits the budget to
the City Manager, then to City Council.
6. Update on Dog Park — Mike Simpson
Mike Simpson was introduced to give a presentation on the dog park and
introduced citizens involved with the dog park. Simpson would like to update the
Board on the activity that has been going on for the last 8 weeks with the Dog Park
Association and what improvements are appropriate for the dog park, what the
estimate cost is for each item, and what the priority should be for those items. The
intention is to give input to the board and staff. He explained he is here to provide
guidance from the user community. He showed a slide show and stated that the
dog park is a community feature that serves one of the biggest population or the
demographics within a city, which are pet owners; dog owners specifically.
Simpson briefly explained where the dog park was located and the areas of the dog
park. Simpson showed the phases of the dog park and phase one has been
completed which included fencing, signage, drinking water, mitt stations and trash
cans. He explained that phase two would be a walking path and benches, and phase
three would be ponds as well as other amenities.
He explained his suggestion for how to prioritize additional amenities and there
were 4 categories identified: dog park safety, park stewardship, user convenience,
and park amenities. Safety would include an announcement sign which has already
been installed and donated by the Animal Services organization which includes the
animal shelter. Walking paths and additional benches would encourage people to
move from the entrance out into the park which would allow ease and safety of
dogs/owners entering and exiting the park. Stewardship includes tree management,
saver bags, signage for picking up toys and items brought into the park, walking
path, turf management, and parking. Parking has caused problems with compaction
on the trees. Parking was discussed about possible organic mulch being laid for
people to park. This would help with compaction and feed the roots. User
convenience includes bag saver tubes for recycled plastic bags for disposing of
waste, and lost and found baskets. Amenities include walk paths, dog ponds,
additional benches, lights, sidewalks, play equipment, and dog wash pad.
Simpson showed how some of the items would be donated by the Dog Park
Association and also how some items could be Scout projects or youth projects. He
explained how the City already has a bench and tree donation program in place.
Turf management, and parking would be under the low cost items within the $1,000
- $5,000 range. Walk paths, tree stewardship, and dog wash pad are within the
medium cost range. Benches, lights, sidewalks, and play equipment would be in the
high cost range. Simpson provided members with a list of Dog Park Improvements
and showed examples of bag saver tubes, play equipment and other information
about infrastructure of dog parks.
Simpson stated that Georgetown is a model for a dog park, as neighboring cities and
counties will be modeling after what Georgetown has done. Buikema thanked
Simpson for his presentation. Simpson requested specific support on amenities once
that has been established and asked to be on the agenda next month.
7. Consideration and possible action on Adult Baseball Field fees & revenue
projections — Kent Buikema and William Mateja
Buikema stated there would not be action on this today but will give an update.
Mateja and himself have met with staff and have a timeline which is as follows:
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advertising for bids for the lighting at the field by the 21 of March, opening of bids,
and then the presentation at the council meeting before the 22nd of April. The
information that was presented by staff, they project an annual income of over
$27,000. Mateja stated that at the next board meeting they will present information
about the fees. Laemel asked what the present fees were. Morrow stated that it is
$75.00 a day and $20.00 an hour for lights. Morrow stated some of the proposed
ideas for revenue would be to open a concession stand and some sponsorship
signage in the outfield. He also stated that he would like to see the true cost of the
lights before making decisions of the fees. Morrow explained that with the new high
school there may be some use from the high schools as far as over flow for practices.
Laemel asked if there was precedence for certain groups for reserving the field and
Garrett stated that the fields are reserved on a first come first serve basis.
8. Approve minutes from February 14, 2008 meeting
Mateja made a motion to approve the minutes and Mathis seconded the motion and
it passed by unanimous vote.
9. Future agenda items
10 Adjourn
Laemel made a motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:13 pm.
Approved:
Kent Buikema, Chair Parks and Recreation Board
Attest:
Barbara Owens,"Secretary Parks & Recreation